Hiding
by TheWeatherOutside
Summary: Their father is gone and everything is hopeless. (Whumptober Alternate Prompt 9 - Hiding)


_(In my mind, Gordon was about 12 and Scott was about 19 when Jeff went missing.)_

* * *

Tracy Island was really big. When they had first gotten there, it was easy to get lost in and outside of the villa. Whether that be amongst the trees that created the thick forest that covered the island, or the secret passageways and many flights of stairs that filled the house.

Once Gordon had figured his way around the island, he appreciated all the little nooks and crannies he could hide away in. It worked wonders for a game of hide and seek, or if he had just pulled a prank on a brother and wanted to hide away from their inevitable wrath.

He made sure he was the first one to know of every single area of the island, so that his hiding places could go on unknown. The only person who knew of all his hidden spots was his dad, but that was because he had designed the place.

Too bad he wasn't around anymore.

He could hear footsteps approaching, but he didn't move to find out who it was. He just tucked himself further into the corner and hoped that the shadows would hide him away from searching eyes.

He thought he was in luck when the footsteps got quieter, but then the cabinet he was hiding behind was wheeled away and his hiding space was exposed.

"Gordon! There you are! I've been looking for you forever."

Gordon didn't look up at the person, but he knew it was Scott.

"What's up?" Scott asked when Gordon didn't say anything.

He came to sit down next to Gordon. Gordon just pulled his legs closer against his chest and rested his head against his knees, turning his face away from Scott.

"You know you're not supposed to come down here on your own."

"You guys get to," Gordon muttered.

"That's because we're older," Scott reasoned. "Dad said that in a couple more years you could-"

"Well, dad's not here anymore!" Gordon finally turned to look at Scott.

Scott seemed to be shocked at his sudden outburst, but then a sympathetic look appeared on his face.

"Is that what this is about?"

Gordon just shrugged and rested his head back on his knees.

"We can still find him. We still haven't tried-"

"It's been two weeks, Scott. We're not gonna find him." He could feel the tears start to well up in his eyes, threatening to escape, but he couldn't deal with Scott's empty promises any longer. They still worked for Alan, but not for him.

"Don't say that, Gordon." Scott also sounded like he was going to cry, and Gordon looked back up at him in surprise. Scott never cried.

It seemed he wanted to keep it that way, though, as when Gordon looked up at him, he just swallowed and the tears stayed put.

"I'm sorry," Gordon mumbled. He didn't want to make Scott feel bad. "But it's true."

"There's always hope."

Gordon wanted to tell him that that wasn't true, but he wasn't sure if Scott was saying it to Gordon, or to himself. So, he decided to keep his mouth shut for now, and instead stared up at the ship that sat in the hanger he liked to hide away in.

Thunderbird 1 was so tall. He felt like an ant next to it, and it wasn't even the biggest of the ships that they owned.

"You know, you can fly it one day," Scott said after he realised what Gordon was staring at. "You can pilot them all someday."

Gordon turned to Scott in confusion.

"You're still gonna continue the organisation?" He frowned; he thought that was over, now.

"Of course! It's dad's legacy. He would want us to keep it going." A smile had crept onto Scott's face as he thought about it. "There's always people to save, he'd say."

He would say that, but the mention of their dad just made Gordon feel sad again. A legacy meant that he wasn't around anymore, that he was gone for good. How could they still save people, when that was the very thing that took their dad away from them.

"And in the future, you can join too."

"Really?" Gordon sat up.

"Yeah. You and Alan, when you're older, can start training like John and Virgil are now. You're going to love piloting Thunderbird 4."

Gordon did like the sound of that. He had been eyeing up the submersible ever since his dad had shown him the designs. He hadn't quite understood what it was for, back then, but ever since it had been made, he had been dying to go out in it and see it in all its glory.

Scott laughed at the gleeful smile that stretched across Gordon's face.

"Are you going to come upstairs now? Grandma's almost finished dinner."

Gordon grimaced at the thought of having to eat their Grandmother's cooking again.

"If you come upstairs and eat, there may or may not be some cake for dessert that Grandma _didn't_ make."

"Alright." Gordon stood up and stretched, his joints popping after staying in the same position for so long. "But it better be there, or I won't be happy."

Scott stood up as well and they began to walk back out of the hanger.

"I'm sure it's there. Unless Virgil already ate it all, but if that's the case, I'll help you get revenge on him."

Gordon laughed. "It's a deal."

They stepped into the elevator that would take them back up to the surface of the island. Gordon hadn't forgotten about what had been troubling him, but he did see it in a different light.

Maybe Scott was right. Maybe there was hope after all. Even if it wasn't in seeing their dad again, it was still there in all the people they had yet to save.

It was in the legacy that he had left behind, and Gordon knew that he wouldn't let that go to waste.


End file.
